IT’S good Michael Appleton and Oxford United like a challenge, because right now nothing is tougher in Sky Bet League One than a trip to Scunthorpe United.

The Glanford Park faithful have not seen a defeat in the league since December 19 and are one game away from breaking the club record 21 home games unbeaten, which has stood since the 1950s.

The run has helped Graham Alexander’s men surge six points clear and they go into tomorrow’s clash on a five-game winning streak.

By contrast, no-one in League One has collected fewer points on their travels than United, who have won just once on the road this season.

It is a pile-up of statistics which would have many coaches reaching for directions on how to park their bus, but Appleton has no such intention.

“Our away record this season isn’t great, but we’re not going to go there and try to nick a point,” he said.

“I think if we went with that mentality we’d lose the game 1-0.

“I’d rather us attack and if we lose by trying to win, so be it.”

Confidence is on the rise at United after back-to-back wins, but so too does Scunthorpe’s position.

Oxford’s only away win this season came at Bolton Wanderers, part of four successes against the teams in the top six.

It also included Bradford City, whose unbeaten run came to an end at the Kassam Stadium last month.

Appleton admitted the prospect of having a crack at ending Scunthorpe’s sequence fires everyone up.

“Of course it does,” he said.

“Those type of records are fantastic when you’re part of them, because you never want to lose them.

“But when you play a team who have one, it gives you that extra motivation.

“We’ve done ever so well against the teams that are up there.

“Only Sheffield United who have beaten us and we threw that away.

“The players know they’re capable, but up to now they’ve only been capable of producing it in one-off games.

“The big challenge for all of us now is to produce it over a sustained period of time.”

A positive result tomorrow would represent a superb week for the U’s, who went into last Saturday just above the bottom four.

Victories over fellow bottom half sides Coventry City and Gillingham have steadied the ship, but Appleton knows another against the leaders would be a different proposition.

He said: “The message to the players was ‘let’s see where we’re at’.

“I was speaking to (Gills boss) Justin Edinburgh on Tuesday and Scunthorpe smashed them 5-0, so we’re aware of theirs qualities.

“But if we compete with them and – dare I say it – nick the three points, it would be a massive boost.”